Martin Schneider writes:

Today we present the New Yorker nominees for the National Magazine Awards in a way that is easier to peruse, followed by some comments about the picks.

GENERAL EXCELLENCE, Circulation 1,000,000 - 2,000,000
The New Yorker was nominated for the issues of February 11 & 18, 2008; May 26, 2008; and November 17, 2008.

REPORTING: Ryan Lizza on how Chicago shaped Barack Obama: "Making It," July 21, 2008.

FEATURE WRITING: Nick Paumgarten on the lives of elevators: "Up and Then Down," April 21, 2008

ESSAYS: Roger Rosenblatt on death and family: "Making Toast," December 15, 2008

COLUMNS and COMMENTARY: Hendrik Hertzberg, Comments on Barack Obama's visit abroad ("Foreigners," August 4, 2008), on McCain supporters calling Obama a socialist ("Like, Socialism," November 3, 2008), and on the passing of Proposition 8 in California ("Eight is Enough," December 1, 2008)

REVIEWS and CRITICISM: James Wood, Books, on Richard Price and the art of dialogue ("Say What?," April 7, 2008), on Marilynne Robinson and religion ("The Homecoming," September 8, 2008), and on the life of V.S. Naipaul ("Wounder and Wounded," December 1, 2008)

FICTION: Annie Proulx, "Them Old Cowboy Songs," May 5, 2008; Aleksandar Hemon, "The Noble Truths of Suffering," September 22, 2008; Roberto Bolaño, "Clara," August 4, 2008; Joshua Ferris, "The Dinner Party," August 11, 2008

LEISURE INTERESTS: Patricia Marx, On and Off the Avenue, on shopping in China ("Buy Shanghai!" July 21, 2008), on buying shoes in New York ("Sole Sisters," September 1, 2008), and on going discount ("The Price is Right," December 8, 2008)

PHOTO PORTFOLIO: Platon, photographs of the men and women who volunteered to serve in Iraq and Afghanistan, and their families: "Service," September 29, 2008

It's a resonant bunch of nominees, ones that found their way into our posts a few times, not to mention our lives. We mentioned Ryan Lizza's article on Obama's Chicago years here. I didn't write about it, but at the New Yorker Festival in 2008, ASME nominee James Wood spoke at length about the nuances of ASME nominee Hendrik Hertzberg's August 4, 2008, column about Obama's trip abroad. We discussed Roger Rosenblatt's essay here (Jonathan and I loved it; Benjamin didn't); The Platon portfolio made news when Gen. Colin Powell referenced it (without naming the photographer or the magazine) during his Meet the Press endorsement of Barack Obama; we discussed the event here.